The about-face by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who in early April rejected Jordan’s request for another three million cubic meters of water and then changed his mind after sustaining public pressure, reflects one of the failures in the bilateral relations and Israel’s lack of regional thinking. Any Israeli government, even if short-lived, is advised to hold a strategic dialogue about relations with Jordan and how to leverage the water-energy-Green Revolution triangle, in order to promote constructive regional...
March 2021 marked ten years of a civil war in Syria that has left a shattered and destroyed country, with most of the population displaced within and outside the state and, with many on the brink of starvation, suffering an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. One of the main factors driving the internal revolt against the Bashar al-Assad regime was climate change and an ensuing drought, which highlighted both the regime’s failure in managing natural resources and its neglect of the agricultural sector. The climate trends that preceded...
The European Green Deal (EGD) is the new European Union growth strategy to transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive economy. By 2050, the European Union aims to be free of net greenhouse gas emissions, decouple economic growth from resource use, and “leave no one behind.” The significant budget allocated to climate solutions reflects the relevance of the Green Deal in the European agenda. Israel, for its part, should establish broader collaboration in innovating green technologies and use this...
The strategic assessment for Israel for 2021 is shaped by significant uncertainty in three principal areas: the level of success in coping with COVID-19; the modus operandi and policies of the new administration in the United States; and the political developments in Israel. The current assessment is based on a broader conception of national security, which places greater weight than in the past on the domestic arena and on threats to internal stability, social cohesion, values, and fabric of life. This of course does not detract...
The appointment of John Kerry as Special Presidential Envoy for Climate was one of the first appointments made by US President-elect Joe Biden. The post also existed under President Obama, but it will now be upgraded to a cabinet position, and Kerry will be a member of the White House National Security Council. This appointment signals the incoming administration’s intention to overturn the approach of the outgoing Trump administration, elevating the fight against climate change and re-positioning the United States as a global...
The multilayered COVID-19 crisis – comprising health, economic, social, and governmental dimensions – continues to evolve in the context of much uncertainty, weakens national coping capabilities, and as such harms national security. In Israel there are two elements that amplify the damage of the COVID-19 pandemic: the constitutional-political crisis and the centralization of the public system. These harm governmental legitimacy, form cracks in the contract between the public and the leadership, and erode the ability to cope with the...
The strategic assessment for Israel for 2021 is shaped by significant uncertainty in three principal areas: the level of success in coping with COVID-19; the modus operandi and policies of the new administration in the United States; and the political developments in Israel. The current assessment is based on a broader conception of national security, which places greater weight than in the past on the domestic arena and on threats to internal stability, social cohesion, values, and fabric of life. This of course does not detract...
The State of Israel’s strategic balance in 2020 is the basis for the policy recommendations for the coming year. In implementing these recommendations, it is important to emphasize the State of Israel’s overarching objectives: to strengthen Israel as a Jewish, democratic, secure, prosperous, and just state that is at peace with its neighbors. These objectives define Israel’s purpose, both in the eyes of the Israeli public and in the eyes of the international community.
The State of Israel’s strategic efforts and...
The Middle East is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change, including rising temperatures, water and consequently food shortages, rising sea levels, and increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. These changes could aggravate regional instability, lead to mass migration of refugees, and create comfortable conditions for terrorist organizations. Beyond the effects on regional geopolitical stability, which could become a security challenge for Israel, climate change also has direct implications for...
In September 2020 the fifth generation communications network (5G) was launched in Israel based on Western infrastructures, with no Chinese infrastructure. With that development, Israel effectively joined the United States Clean Network program. A Chinese initiative, launched in response to the US program, shows that there are signs in the international system of a trend toward technological decoupling, which is expected to have strategic consequences – political, economic, and technological. Israel would do well to identify the...
The Barcelona Process was launched in 1995 in order to strengthen the relations between countries on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Pursuant to this process, and in an effort to correct its lapses, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) was founded in July 2008 as a broad inter-governmental framework with 43 member countries, including Israel. After a hesitant start, the new regional body gradually shaped its organizational identity and scored successes, among them dozens of projects valued at billions of dollars in the realms...
The recent heat wave in Israel and the wildfires raging in the country in mid-October, as well as in neighboring Syria and Lebanon, serve as a stark reminder that climate change is happening now, and that its impacts are already felt in the Middle East. Given the expected frequency of heat waves, the reduction in water resources, and rising sea levels in the Middle East, Israel might well face a significant problem of regional instability, accompanied by large numbers of climate refugees at its borders. To better prepare for this...
